Son of a Dragonlord
by AltyLeyther
Summary: Will there ever truly be a last dragonlord? Morgana with her new protegee, Morgana, are taking a more long term plan for the downfall of camelot.
1. Chapter 1

**Son of a Dragonlord**

Will there ever truly be a Last Dragonlord?

Morgana awoke with an all too familiar sensation although this time without the same dread and fear. Morgause's guidance had helped her just as her bracelet had protected her before. Morgana could recall her exact words the previous evening, almost pleading for her help and she could not refuse her. Morgause had started with "my dear sister" and how could her heart not be melted by someone with whom she had such a link. Morgana had not known her mother and her father had been taken away from her when she was but 12. To have a half sister in this world, some family, after always feeling an outsider in Camelot, only there because a guilty promise Uther had made to her father and moreover an outsider because of her magic gift… Had she finally found somewhere she belonged?

Morgause had persuaded her to remove the bracelet that had protected her from her nightmares as Morgause's crystal was incomplete. Deliberately damaged. A vital piece removed in a failed effort to maintain power against the purge driven by Uther's hatred of magic. Despite all efforts and many lives the crystal of Neahtid eventually fell into Uther's hands and an attempt to retrieve it now seemed unlikely. No, the crystal of Neahtid would be well guarded now if it had not been destroyed already. Such a waste. All that was in Morgause's possession was a tool for viewing the present, a snapshot of current happenings, a brief glimpse that had not to date revealed the powerful secret that Camelot must be harboring somewhere…by someone. Morgause needed to know who it was that was protecting Camelot, they had already defeated her in the battle for Arthur's soul. Her crystal could not help her and now she turned to Morgana's seeing power.

She was not convinced by the propaganda of the Great Dragon being slayed by Arthur. Sure, he was a great warrior but her knowledge of dragons far outstripped his and she knew Camelot must be harboring a Dragonlord of some kind or a great sorcerer, indeed a guardian for Arthur at the very least. Where they all the same person? Morgause could understand why they were in hiding with a threat of execution hanging over them should their secret be discovered but what she had no real understanding of was why they were serving Uther and Camelot. It was out of her control and that was dangerous to any future attempts to topple her adversary, the one who separated her from her mother, the one who abandoned her father to die on the battlefield. It was this latter act of treachery that strengthened the bond between Morgana and herself.

"Morgana? I hope your sleep was not too troubled? Please believe me I would not ask you to undergo any distress were it not crucial to our future".

Morgana turned to her sister and gave the best smile she could for the sake of the sister she now loved, her rescuer, her haven in this world. "Worry not my sister, I want to help although I am not sure what I have seen is of use to you". Morgause placed a reassuring hand on her arm, "Hush, there is no need to rush, only when you are ready will we, together, piece together anything you saw".

"I do not want to fail you."

"Worry not", Morgause interrupted. "You could not".

Morgana took a deep breath and relayed the contents of her dream.

_**Firstly, she saw herself returning to Camelot, being helped from her horse and taken into the arms of Uther. She had shuddered at the thought, the memory of that same act when Arthur had returned her to Camelot from the Druids. **_

_**She had seen Arthur standing outside her chambers with a sword in hand.**_

_**She had seen herself lying down while a hand had removed a stray lock of her hair from her face.**_

_**And finally she had seen a horse carrying a cloaked figure in the night.**_

That was all. It did not seem to make sense to her and yet Morgause's face had not changed. She spoke simply. 'It seems our path is now clear'. Morgana looked at her in disbelief. 'You got something from so little?'

'Yes Morgana, I have had several ideas of how to move forward however your visions have cleared the doubts. You must return to Camelot.'

'No! I will not leave you! I will not go and live a lie in Camelot !'

'Please, let me finish. You will discover the identity of Arthur's protector, the dragonlord and the protector of Camelot. But fear not, you will return to me. I cannot achieve such a task. I would not make it past the gates let alone into the trust of a the hidden sorcerer whereas you, my sister, would be welcomed I am sure with open arms'

'I am not sure a welcome would await me'.

'Fear not, any doubts they have about you will be forgotten as they each in turn seek salvation. Only you can release them from their guilt for the wrongs they have done you in turn. Only in your forgiveness can they redeem themselves.

'And once I have found the identity of this person?'

'You must bring the secret back to me without revealing it to those in Camelot. In hiding, the guardian of Camelot is limited and restricted in his powers, we should seek for this to continue if the second part of your quest is to have the desired impact.'

'There is more?'

'Yes, although should you only return with the knowledge of who our enemy is, that would be satisfactory however the downfall of Camelot and the ultimate revenge would be ours if we were to acquire the legacy of either the dragonlord'

'His legacy?'

'Yes, I fear I am being too candid. A dragonlord's powers are passed from father to son.'

She paused to see if the penny had dropped. It had. Morgause continued to watch Morgana's expression as she continued.

'A son of a dragonlord under our influence, guidance and protection could ensure that the future of Camelot embraced magic and the practices of the old religion. Your son would not only rule Camelot but would ensure that nobody with magic shall live in fear again'.

Morgause was to reflect that it was the choice of these last words which secured Morgana's cooperation.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early evening and the time of day when Arthur fondly remembered the times he would retire to his chambers. It seemed so long ago now that it hardly seemed a reality. Instead he swaggered his way to the royal court to report to his father on the daily undertakings with Merlin hot on his heels.

'…and once you've done that, we'll need to address the lack of horses for any new knights we do manage to recruit. Go and find Pengrain and have him speak to me tomorrow, before training. The masons for the lower gate aren't progressing as fast as we would hope so make sure Hellein reports. As for the staff of the royal household, we'll need to collate a list of all those positions …. Are you listening to me?'

'That depends on who you were talking to. Merlin the manservant, Merlin the equerry or even Merlin the magician because, lets face it, I would need something to be able to complete the long list of duties you've just managed to pile on me.'

Arthur stopped abruptly and turned. 'Magic is no laughing matter. I thought you'd been in Camelot long enough to realise that now.'

'Indeed sire'

'Perhaps you can get one of your admirers to give you a hand if your duties are too burdensome?

'Admirers?' Merlin bit his lip but it was too late. Let the rib tickling commence.

'You know, we've just passed half a dozen maids, all with a smile for you, which I think you are oblivious to…'

'Tell me Arthur, as a man who knows women or should I say maids…what's your advice?'

The dig was not missed by Arthur who at that moment caught a glimpse of Gwen crossing the courtyard. Their paths had not accidentally crossed recently despite her now performing duties for Gaius. Arthur hoped she was enjoying her new role. Perhaps he would have time soon enough to take a more proactive approach although he knew it was a route he could not go down, not just now anyhow. What was it Gwen had said once, 'there is always hope'… well, the light was at the end of a very long tunnel at the moment. Merlin coughed in his ear.

'Arthur? You all right?'

'Hmm?'

'Only I was expecting a verbal onslaught and something must have distracted you'. Merlin was trying hard to suppress a childish grin.

'I'll save it for another time, perhaps when I have a mace at hand or a jug of really cold water, but now I must report to the Royal Court'. With that, Arthur continued down the corridor with renewed pace to his waiting father, the King of Camelot.

Merlin dutifully followed. He was after all Arthur's manservant despite any friendship that had developed. Merlin knew the limits. When others were around the master/servant protocol was not to be tampered with but Arthur had grown to appreciate Merlin's presence and ever increasing 'surly retorts'. For his part, Merlin was becoming increasingly disconcerted. Whilst he kept his magic secret he was still living a lie just like in Ealdor and telling Arthur was becoming even harder. How could Arthur trust a man who had lied to him and would Arthur ever come to trust him? To Merlin, the best case scenario was that Arthur was becoming a friend to someone he didn't know which didn't seem to appeal no matter how you dressed it up. 'Merlin !'. And there it was - destiny calling.

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Arthur felt like he was on trial. Arms folded behind his back with eyes forward. He wished that it was just himself and his father without the royal court spectators. That way he could speak more freely with his father. The more and more the King tried to take a firmer and unyielding approach the weaker he appeared to all who watched. What was Arthur to do? He couldn't disagree with him in public. 'Its not good enough!' Uther declared as he rose to his feet.

'We need better progress to be made'

'Sire. I have no reason to doubt that all that can be done is being done to return Camelot to a secure and safe haven for all. The dragon's attacks have done more damage than a direct attack by any army could ever hope to have done.'

'Our neighbours watch us now. They keep a constant watch for any sign of vulnerability and will not hesitate to take advantage of our current predicament. It is your responsibility Arthur to ensure that Camelot can be defended against whatever they may wish to throw at us'.

'We are using all those hands we have available and in time things will return to where we were.'

'Time is not a luxury we have. We have received reports that Odin's army are increasing their activity in the border areas'

'Perhaps it is time to reach out to our other neighbours …'

'No! One sniff of weakness and they too will be in for the kill'

'We need our allies with us whilst we reconstruct our defences both of the castle and our knights. Surely speaking with them at this moment is a sign of strength.'

'Our ties with our allies are precarious at best and are not set in stone. There is no stronger link than a blood tie or even one of marriage and at present we have neither'. Uther watched for Arthur's reaction as did most of the court. Perhaps it would have been better from a father/son point of view to have broached the subject in private but for now, in the royal court, he was speaking to him as his King.

'My Lord'. And there it was, a moment of hesitancy that was missed by most but not to those who knew Arthur. 'Would it not be better to focus on the things we can control rather than those we do not. The town is near back to normal working save for those extra demands and pressures put upon its folk by restoring the defences. Our knights and army, whilst a little drained from their efforts, will be ready should they be called into action. Yes, our physical defences are damaged but even in their current state none would dare to mount a direct attack.'

Uther would let the matter be sidelined for now. The seed had been planted and if he knew his son it would not be ignored fully. Besides, Arthur was of an age where his attentions should perhaps be turning towards the long term future of Camelot and more importantly the Pendragon dynasty. Uther wanted to put producing an heir on the agenda if only to squash any rumours there were about his son and the maid who welcomed him back after facing the dragon.

'Then let us hope more progress is made tomorrow'. With that Uther turned to leave the court but before he did he turned to his son. 'Then, we will be able to consider the future of Camelot more fully'.

……………………..

Arthur flung open the doors of his chambers so hard that they nearly sprang back on their hinges into a following Merlin. 'Don't you have things to do other than follow me around?'

'Indeed sire, but I thought there may be further duties you wanted me to undertake first. For example, I see a goblet of wine over yonder that may have your name on it?'. Merlin could remember a time when the goblet would have been thrown at him for such a remark but he could see that Arthur had to stifle a smile at the suggestion.

'So…' offered Merlin as he put the goblet in front of his master. 'no blood nor marital link with our neighbours eh?'. The great dragon had talked of Arthur being the one to unite Albion but Merlin hadn't for one second thought that marrying his way around the land was the way to do it.

'Nor shall there be one. I think my father is grasping at straws.'

'Lady Vivien may be willing…' Arthur gave Merlin a steely look. Now was not the time for an insight into the world according to Merlin.

'I'll be getting on then' said Merlin as he made his way to the door.

'Yes, you do that Merlin' said Arthur as he addressed the pile of papers on his desk. Where to start. He looked up. Merlin was still stood there.

'Arthur? Would you like me to ask Gaius for something?'

'I think the last thing I need is a sleeping draught from Gaius. They either knock me out for a whole day or need a antidote to revive me. I am not suffering from anything at present'. Merlin decided to play to the rough, tough, save the world kind of man inside.

'Well perhaps something to ease any aches and pains that you don't have in your shoulder and that aren't disrupting you from getting some rest'.

'What I need a rest from is your constant nagging. You're worse than an old woman.'

'Indeed sire'.

Merlin turned again to the door but Arthur stopped him.

'Perhaps something from Gaius might help but I warn you if it does more than merely relax me then I'll be coming after you with more than a mace'.

Merlin nodded and left. Arthur didn't really need anything and he hoped that it would not be Gaius that delivered the potion. After what had been alluded to in the court he needed to speak to Gwen more than ever. He didn't know what he would say but he needed to see her now more than anything.


End file.
